


Shadowcurse

by hibiren



Series: Jay's Faeverse AU Collection [15]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Aftercare, Alternate Universe - Fae, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Biting, Caretaking, Comfort/Angst, Dark Magic, Developing Friendships, Emetophobia, Emotional Whump, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Faerie!Ignis, Feral Behavior, Gentleness, Hand Jobs, Help, Light Bondage, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Blood, Nightfae!Noctis, Noct gets a little bit scourgey when his heat is left unattended oops, Noct is not having a good time, Potions, Promptis - Freeform, Sunfae!Prompto, Vomiting, Whump, but it's all just shadows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:48:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25043407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: One early morning, just as the sun began to peek over the treeline, Prompto made his way through the forest to drop in to Noctis’s home for a surprise visit. He’d brought a few snacks along in a small basket, hoping to share them with the faeprince before he went to bed for the day. Just as Prompto advanced toward Noctis’s burrow, he heard something that made him panic and drop the food.Growling.Deep, guttural growling. It almost sounded like a nightcurse. Was Noctis in danger? Was he being attacked?
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Series: Jay's Faeverse AU Collection [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1426801
Comments: 14
Kudos: 37





	1. Shadowcurse

**Author's Note:**

> oh wow according to my doc file I'd been working on this for almost exactly a month! and I'm posting this just days before the one-year anniversary of the first fae!AU fic I've posted here! A year has passed and I'm finally getting all three faeboys together all in one place! Eventually!
> 
> If you haven't read any of my other fae fics, I'd strongly suggest reading them beforehand because there's a bit of lore referenced in this one that goes back to some of my other works in this verse! [(You can find them here!)](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1426801) Other than that I hope you enjoy! Make sure to check out all the tags before reading, too, since this one gets a little bit dark. Thanks! <3

Prompto’s hair bristled as he slowly stepped toward the burrow’s entrance, and the sound only intensified, until Prompto could distinguish the faeprince’s voice intermingling with the angry, harsh snarling.

“...Noctis?”

 _“Don’t! Don’t - please…!”_ came Noctis’s voice, echoing from deep within. When his second plea dissolved into agonized moaning, Prompto couldn’t stop himself from stepping closer.

“Noct…? Are you… are you hurt? What’s going on - ”

_“No, no! Go away! I don’t want to hurt you! Just… c-come back later, when… when I’m not…”_

Prompto froze as his fingers tucked behind the moss cover. _Not what?_

The sunfae opened his mouth to offer something comforting, but another scream from Noctis broke his words. Noctis had to be in excruciating pain; the sound rang in Prompto’s ears and carved straight through his soul, set his wings beating together anxiously at the jarring cacophony of wounded cries and the hitching breaths that followed after.

“Noct… Noct, please, I’m coming in,” said Prompto, barely able to raise his voice past a whisper. He swallowed back a trembling sob and pulled back the moss, stepping into the dimly lit burrow-cave. As he advanced further through the tunnels and toward the back, he summoned a little bit of his energy to build an ambient glow against his skin to light the way. Noctis screamed again, the sound echoing down a split in the pathways - Prompto strained his ears to figure out which way to follow before tracing the pull of darkness to Noctis’s room, only to be met with exactly what he was afraid of.

Inkshadows flowed across the floor like some kind of haunted sea, pouring from the faeprince’s shuddering wings, his skin, dripping down his face and onto the ground, soaking it. His cloak was missing and his pants were torn almost completely from his body. He was on his knees, bracing on one elbow as his other hand clutched his heaving stomach tightly.

Prompto put a hand to his mouth, but still managed to speak against his fingertips. “What happened?”

 _“Prom… Pr-Prompto…”_ Noctis whimpered. He gagged on his next words and immediately after, the pitiful sounds of his pained retching reverberated against the walls. Ink spilled from his mouth, thick like paint yet just as alive as the rest of the darkness. It swallowed up everything as it spread in tendrils across the floor, swimming closer to Prompto. Almost too close to fight off. _“No, n-no - stay back! Please.”_

Prompto took a step back, and Noctis looked up, his wide, frightened eyes fighting to focus on him.

 _“You… you have to… have to leave, I don’t want to - AAGH! - I don’t… I don’t want to hurt you, please… I can control this, I can… I can, I have to,”_ Noctis moaned, fighting to stay coherent as more ink oozed thickly past his lips.

When Prompto shook his head the current of darkness rushed forward again. Noctis’s hand flew to his mouth, barely able to keep back a second wave of inkshadows from spilling through his fingers and onto the floor.

“Something’s wrong… you’re really hurt, aren’t you? You need help!” shouted Prompto. He tried to bring light to the room but everything he conjured aside from the glowing from his own skin was swallowed up by the ink, devoured ravenously in a single instant. Every small summon of light vanished the moment it left his fingertips, as if the twisting darkness were craving it.

Barely able to hold himself up, Noctis’s wings shuddered and a small flickering like sparks from dying coals rose from the bare skin of his back. He had enough energy to offer Prompto a small smile before he stilled and disappeared into the turbulent inksea.

 _“Go… go get Ignis. He’ll… he’ll know what to do,”_ was the last thing Prompto heard, and he immediately did as the faeprince ordered. It was Noctis’s, and his, last chance.

Why hadn’t Prompto thought of that sooner? Ignis wasn’t exactly a ‘friend,’ especially not of the Prince’s, but this was all they had right now. He’d beg if he had to; he had nothing to offer in exchange for Ignis’s help but himself - and if that’s what it took, so be it.

Prompto flew off toward the edge of the forest, the trees passing in blurs as he zipped between them faster than he ever had in his life. His wings burned from the friction of flying at such a high speed but he bit back the pain and kept going; with whatever his mate was going through, he felt he had no right to complain.

Prompto remembered Noctis mentioning that Ignis lived nearby, and if he focused hard enough, he hoped he could find the flowerfae. The calming, refreshing scent of plants and sunshine soon overwhelmed his lungs as he passed through the treeline into a field, and that should have brought relief - instead it just made him more anxious as he searched every flower and every thick patch of grass for the fae.

A cottage came into view, and Prompto detected the humming energy of a barrier nearby. It felt like Ignis’s magic - it was warm, and protective, surrounding the cottage and the garden behind it. As soon as he crossed that barrier, he realized Ignis would be able to sense him. The magic grew even stronger as he approached the cottage, and he caught sight of a fae-sized door some distance from the house. It was attached to a tree stump, and there was a little sign just across from the door, painted with the words “Fae House.”

Prompto touched down in front of the door and knocked rapidly. He barely got past the fourth knock before the door pulled open and a very surprised Ignis peered down at him through his wide circle-shaped glasses.

“Ah, I knew I felt a familiar presence. I haven’t seen you since the banquet. Is something troubling you… Prompto, yes? The faeprince’s mate?” Ignis’s tone was polite, but Prompto knew it was just to hide the curious look in his gaze that asked instead, _how did you find me?_

“Please, there’s no time - it’s Noct, he’s… he’s… he’s really…” Prompto swayed on his feet, and Ignis’s warm hands closed around Prompto’s arms to catch him as he stumbled forward.

“The Prince? Is he injured?” asked the flowerfae. He pressed a hand to Prompto’s forehead, gently brushing his sweat-slicked hair aside. “You nearly fainted, you ought to rest - ”

“There’s no _time, Ignis!”_ Prompto snapped, although weakly, shying away from the elder fae’s inquisitive, concerned touch. “I’m s-sorry… it’s just he’s… I think Noctis is really hurt. He… he wanted me to find you specifically. You have to help him, please, I’ll… I’ll do anything you want me to in exchange! Just, please help him.”

As Prompto spluttered anxiously, Ignis just nodded while keeping his hand on the smaller sunfae’s arm to prevent him from wobbling on his feet too much.

“Please, Ignis, he’s really sick. He was oozing all over, and this black… stuff… covered the floor, it even tried to attack me! That must be what’s hurting Noct, too…”

Ignis paused only for a second to make his decision, his expression immediately changing as the severity of the situation dawned on him. “I’ll need you to take me to him. First though, please, I’ll ask one thing of you: drink one of my potions, to return your strength. You’ll need it if we’re to return to his side quickly. Consider this your payment for my help, if you must.”

“O…okay.”

Ignis was… really being genuinely kind to him? Thinking about it, Prompto wondered if he was being kind out of sympathy, or maybe even pity that Prompto was now Noctis’s new source of energy. _I can handle this…_ Prompto thought, somewhat bitterly, as Ignis guided him through the house by a polite hand at the waist. If it were any other day Prompto was sure he’d be inspecting all the interesting things Ignis kept around - but there was just no time.

The teapot on the kitchen table flapped its lid hastily at the two when they passed, which startled Prompto into nearly fainting a second time. Ignis chided it sternly before leading Prompto through a side door just beyond the kitchen, to a brewing room where several shelves of potions in a multitude of colors, sizes, and containers lined the walls. He leaned the sunfae against empty wallspace before searching the shelves for a particular bottle - one that contained bright green liquid and a blooming crystal forming at the bottom of the glass. He picked it up, removed the cap and its magical seal, and held it to Prompto’s trembling lips.

“Please, drink this, and you’ll feel rejuvenated instantly. The effects may startle you, but I assure you it’s an excellent remedy.”

Nervously, Prompto took the bottle in both hands and although he hesitated, took a small sip. The potion danced like lightning across his tongue, a burst of energy following as he swallowed. It frizzled his hair and made his wings thump rapidly against the wall behind him, but he shook his head and returned to normal after taking a slow, deep breath. He really _did_ feel better.

“Can we take some of this to Noct?” Prompto asked, trying to work the fidgeting out of his body.

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Ignis admitted, corking the potion. He pulled a pouch off of the wall and gently tucked the bottle inside it before buckling it around his waist and giving it an experimental tug to make sure it was secure. “Shall we? If you’re ready.”

“We should go. I hope we weren’t gone too long already… what if…”

“We’ll fly as swiftly as we can, and we’ll be at his side before you know it.”

Ignis gently touched Prompto’s shoulder, helping direct him out of the potions room and toward his front door. He offered gentle reassurances along the way, surely sensing how terrified the sunfae was by the crackle of the energy surrounding him.

“Whatever is ailing the faeprince, I’m fairly certain I can assist him. I may not be much of a healer, but…” There was a strange look in Ignis’s eyes. Like he was fighting his urge to help. Prompto remembered what happened at the banquet all that time ago and wondered if Ignis was really the best choice to ask for help. Her Majesty Lunafreya was out of his reach… and she was the only other healer that Prompto could think of to ask that he trusted.

“I know… I know you’re probably still mad at Noctis for what happened back then,” Prompto hesitated, “but please… please just help him. Don’t hurt him. He’s been feeding on me - so your mate is safe. Noct knows not to hurt him anymore, he told me that. He doesn’t want to make you angry.”

“He doesn’t, you say,” Ignis muttered, a scowl briefly crossing his face as he opened the door and gently nudged Prompto outside. “Take me to him, please. The sooner the better.”

They flew off together, with Prompto leading the way, and the two reached Noctis’s burrow after traveling as fast as they both could safely manage. The extra energy from Ignis’s potion still lingered in Prompto’s wings, and he did his best to save as much of it as he could for when they were back at the faeprince’s side.

Prompto stepped inside the burrow first, calling out to Noctis to let him know that he’d returned. There was no screaming, this time, but if Prompto strained his ears, he could hear the faint, unsteady rhythm of labored breathing coming from the room he had found Noctis in before. Ignis caught on and glanced between the tunnels before turning to Prompto.

“I need to go in alone. What you’re about to hear may be very unpleasant - but please, don’t enter the room until I’m finished working. I’ll give you a signal. If all goes well he should be under control within a few minutes…”

“Alright… please, be careful.”

And then Ignis disappeared into the tunnel. The faint sounds of Ignis’s voice chanting something echoed through but quickly after, the wounded, animalistic screaming began again, along with the sudden sound of shattering glass. Prompto backed up against the wall and pressed his hands against his ears. He was terrified for himself, for Ignis, for _Noctis._ The screaming wasn’t dying down, in fact, it seemed to be getting louder…

The tunnel walls split suddenly, crumbling down into darkness and dust as Ignis was flung from the Prince’s room. He was covered in that strange ink that had been oozing from the Prince’s body. It had concentrated into almost leech-like shapes and appeared to be eating at his skin. At the very least it was sapping him of his magic.

Immediately, Prompto ran to Ignis’s side to scoop as much of the dark substance off of the fae as he could, brushing it from his clothes, face, and hair. Ignis laid there on the tunnel floor, panting, barely able to respond past an occasional shudder. This was the first time Prompto had seen Ignis this… weak. This damaged.

It scared Prompto. But what was more frightening was the fact that this darkness was wounding Ignis severely - but didn’t seem to be hurting Prompto himself. Was the glowing of his skin, his sunfae magic, enough to keep the darkness away? Or something more?

Another low growl echoed out from the broken tunnel wall and Prompto gathered his courage. Ignis, barely coherent, rested a hand on Prompto’s leg and whispered softly,

“I did everything I could… the rest is up to you. It seems you are the only one… who can heal him of his…”

“His… his what?”

Yet the elder fae gave no response. His eyes fluttered closed. Prompto carefully pushed Ignis up into a sitting position and pressed his warm, still-glowing hands to Ignis’s face, brushing more thick streaks of darkness away. When his touch trailed to Ignis’s chest, he was thankful that he still felt a heartbeat beneath his hand, that he was still breathing. When he glanced down, hoping to find the potion bottle to offer to the fae to get his energy back, he frowned when he saw that the whole pouch was missing. That must have been what the shattering glass was… of course.

“I’ll… I’ll do what I can.”

With that, Prompto stood, wings spread wide yet flicking nervously as he stepped through the broken tunnel wall. The pulsing shadows reflected an oily shine back at Prompto as he made himself glow slightly brighter so he could see. Noctis hissed from the back corner of the room, snarling and fighting to turn his face away from the light as if it were hurting him. Prompto stepped closer.

Several thick vines had broken through the dirt of the floor and were wrapped tightly around the Prince’s struggling arms and legs, effectively binding him in place. Although the ink swarmed around his body and tried to dissolve the vines, they still held. This was likely what _very unpleasant_ meant, even if Ignis had somehow succeeded in restraining him. Noctis was miserable. In pain. Suffering.

“Noct… hey, it’s me. It’s Prompto. I’m here to help you, okay?”

The Prince’s eyes gave off an eerie pinkish light for only a moment as he looked up - he blinked it away and shuddered, swallowing. His voice scraped hoarsely out of his dry throat as he said, _“Tell… tell Ignis I’m sorry - I didn’t… I didn’t mean to… t-to…”_

“I know, Noct, I know; it’s okay, I’m sure he understands,” Prompto whispered comfortingly, raising his hands slowly, very slowly, and pressing them to his mate’s face. His skin wasn’t cool to the touch as it should have been - his body felt like it was burning. It was the first time Noctis had ever felt so warm… and Prompto immediately understood why, the moment the darkness retreated enough to reveal more of the Prince’s trembling form. “You’re… you’re in heat, aren’t you?”

 _“Yes,”_ Noctis groaned, practically sobbing when Prompto’s glowing fingertips met his skin. A slow trail of shadowy tears slipped down Noctis’s face, but Prompto thumbed them away and tried not to think too much about how much pain he must be in. The silvery star-freckles scattered against the Prince’s skin briefly flickered with a soft, bluish shine in response. Prompto wondered if he imagined it.

 _“Please, make it stop! I… I thought… it would go away, if I waited or ignored it… I had to manage alone because you weren’t awake, and I couldn’t… c-couldn’t…”_ The faeprince’s words dissolved into faint whimpers, and finishing his sentence became impossible.

“Shh, shh, Noct, I know. It’ll be okay. I’ll take care of you, you’ll feel better soon. We’ll get you back to normal, alright?”

Prompto had never had to deal with heat before. Not even his own. But he would do this, for Noctis, because he loved him; now he understood what Ignis meant by this being something only he could solve.

“Do you think you can do something about all this… dark stuff?” Prompto asked, still keeping his warm palms pressed to Noctis’s skin, keeping his eyes on the Prince’s. They flickered from blue to pink to blue again, and his head rolled forward as if it were too heavy to keep holding up.

 _“No… I can’t. I tried. There’s too much of it. It has a mind of its own, or something - oh no, is… is it hurting you?”_ Noctis asked. His wide eyes were barely visible behind his bangs, but the fear trapped within them made Prompto’s heart ache.

“No, it’s not,” Prompto soothed, his thumbs tracing gentle circles against Noctis’s cheeks. With a soft smile, Prompto added reassuringly, “I don’t know why, but it’s not. I think it’s my magic. The light I’m giving off must keep it from hurting me. I’m perfectly fine, I promise.”

_“Ohh… good… that’s good.”_

“Let’s get you cleaned up, okay? That should help you feel a bit better,” Prompto suggested warmly, hoping that the shaking that rattled his voice was only in his imagination, praying that Noctis couldn’t feel how frightened he was.

_“Okay…”_

“Alright. Let’s get you cleaned up a little,” repeated Prompto, smoothing his fingertips over Noctis’s hair and pushing his bangs aside to plant a quick, gentle kiss on his forehead. Noctis’s body jerked reflexively against the vines when Prompto pulled away, but he fought to still himself. He really was trying to keep himself under control, which had to be taking a lot out of him.

Slowly and carefully, Prompto built up more energy into his hands. He hummed softly as he brushed his fingers first against the Prince’s face, then his neck, and followed down the curve of his shoulders to his bound arms, the shadows retreating from his skin as Prompto worked. Noctis convulsed again, and Prompto paused, frowning in apology.

“Sorry, Noct, I’m almost done. I’m almost done, just bear with me a little longer, okay?”

_“Mmh...nnh...c-can’t...”_

“It’ll be okay, I promise. Stay strong for me, Noct, please, I know you can,” Prompto said softly, smiling as his hands moved back up Noctis’s chest to clear more of the inky mess from his skin. Things were going well, so far, so good… Noctis even seemed to be cooling off.

The sunfae hummed as he worked; small, gentle noises just to break the silence and offer a small distraction to the trembling nightfae. When he kneeled down against the floor to smooth his hands down Noctis’s legs, the faeprince swore and pressed his lips tightly shut to muffle a moan.

“Did that hurt? I’m sorry - ”

_“No, it’s just… s-seeing you… on your knees like that… it’s… ohh…”_

_Oh._

Prompto realized what Noctis must have been imagining when he glanced up and saw that strange mysterious pink-red flickering in his eyes again. He had to hurry, or he risked being unable to prevent another wave of heat-induced delirium - the vines were thankfully holding for now, but if something were to happen… Prompto didn’t want to think about it. He was already trying not to stare, to be polite, but Prompto was starting to worry any time his hand trailed too close to Noctis’s thighs, because he would gag and shake his head frantically, trying to swallow back the shadows from making more of a mess. Ink dribbled from his lips down his chin, the drops slowly crawling down his neck until Prompto reached up to clean them away.

 _“Please,”_ was all Noctis said at first, as his eyes slipped closed, _“please. Please, touch me, make me cum. Please… I-I can’t… I can’t - I need to… t-to…”_

“Are you… sure you’re okay with this?” Prompto asked, and his glowing palms dimmed just slightly. He was running out of energy, and needed to speed things up, as much as he worried about what to do next. He couldn’t take his time anymore. And Noctis seemed to understand that, too. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

 _“I don’t… want to hurt you, either, if I lose control again,”_ Noctis answered back, a sorrowful look in his eyes. _“I’ll… I’ll be okay. No matter what… no matter what happens after this, just do what you have to, to make this stop. I’ll try… try not to fight too much.”_

The sunfae smiled, just slightly, hoping it seemed more like one of reassurance than nervousness. “Noct… are you sure?”

_“Yeah… I’m sure. Go… go ahead. Just… don’t stop, even if I beg you to. Promise me that. I want… I want this to be over with. No matter how much it hurts.”_

“Alright… I understand. I promise. But I’ll try to keep from hurting you.” More than anything, Prompto, too, wanted this whole situation to be over with. To have Noctis back to normal. But what he didn’t understand was why Noctis wanted to tell him not to stop. He must have known… if Prompto thought he were hurting his mate, he would stop immediately. But that wasn’t something that could be done right now, not with such limited time, with Noctis slipping. This was just something they would have to get through together, no matter how painful it would be.

“Are you ready?” Prompto asked after inhaling slowly, trying to steady his shaking hands. He had to be strong, for Noctis, and for himself.

The corners of the Prince’s mouth turned up just slightly in response.

_“Yeah… I trust you. Thanks.”_

All the ink that had rolled off of Noctis’s skin and pooled around his legs surged forward when Prompto rested one hand on his hip. He was trying to gather enough courage to do as Noctis asked of him, but deep down, he was scared, and wasn’t sure if he could do this anymore.

The vines around Noctis gave a gentle squeeze, and a small flower bloomed at the base closest to Prompto’s hand. It had to be a signal from Ignis, a sign of encouragement. At least… that meant Ignis was safe as well. And still somewhat able to help out. Noctis seemed to understand this, too, and even looked relieved as his gaze trailed down to discover the tiny blue petals.

“I promise, Noct, no matter what happens - I’ll take care of you. I’ll keep you safe.”

And with those words, Prompto pulled Noctis into a kiss as his cautious fingertips finally brushed against the nightfae’s burning, twitching cock - but Noctis jolted at the touch nonetheless and the waves of ink at their feet sputtered angry blue and silver sparks that just bounced back from Prompto’s skin, fought off by his glowing magic. Noctis started thrashing against his binds, and Prompto just kissed him harder as the vines trailed further up his body to try to keep him still. He cradled the back of Noctis’s head with his other hand, trying his hardest to ease the Prince into pleasure instead of pain.

The slow, paced stroking wasn’t enough. Prompto knew it wasn’t. But he was still too afraid of hurting his mate to do much more. He broke their kiss when a feral snarl clawed out of Noctis’s throat and he forced his hips hard into Prompto’s unsteady grip.

 _“More,”_ growled Noctis. His eyes glared sharply as he hissed, showing the points of his fangs and the shadows that dripped from them. _“More. Now.”_

“I’m sorry, I’m trying,” Prompto whispered desperately, brushing his fingertips along the back of Noctis’s head, through his hair. Instead of leaning into the touch, Noctis flinched away from Prompto’s hand and with a frustrated shout, ripped his hands free of the vines at his wrists. Before they could wrap around him again, Noctis’s shadows immediately swallowed them up and they were gone. He tripped over his bound feet as he lunged forward, knocking Prompto to the ground and biting down hard into his shoulder through his shirt to hold back a strangled, desperate moan as his hips sought out every bit of friction they could against the sunfae’s trapped body.

When Prompto cried out, Noctis froze. Slowly worked his mouth loose from Prompto’s bleeding skin and stared down at the damage he’d done. He just kept staring, his eyes flicking wildly between Prompto’s own and the teethmarks, _his_ teethmarks, and the blood pooling down into the dirt, the blood that the inkshadows lapped at hungrily. Red and black fought against the floor, but it wasn’t enough, because the shadows clearly wanted more than just a taste. An inky tendril crept up to Prompto’s shoulder to probe at the wounds, and Noctis pushed it away.

 _“No, no, oh no, I’m so - I’m sorry…”_ Noctis whispered, his voice breaking as tears - not ink, this time - welled up in his terrified eyes. It was enough to briefly snap him out of his trance, yet he couldn’t fight back enough as he bent down nonetheless to tongue the blood away, shivering at the taste.

Prompto shivered, too, at the strange, warm, wet sensation of Noctis’s tongue on his skin. The bite hurt much less than he’d expected, but his protective barrier was waning, the glow dimming as the minutes drew on, and there was only so much he could do to sustain it…

“It’s okay, Noct,” Prompto managed, the words leaving his mouth slowly, as if time were starting to slip away from him, “I’m okay. I can keep going. It doesn’t hurt, not too badly. I’m okay.”

That feral glare in his eyes returned, a flash and then it was gone, but it was enough to make Noctis grab Prompto’s hand and force it between his legs. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words came out. After shaking his head, the faeprince opened his mouth again.

 _“More,”_ Noctis insisted, but without as much anger - more desperation this time.

“Okay, more,” Prompto repeated back, softly, shifting to brace on his other arm so less weight was on his now-injured shoulder. When his hand closed around Noctis’s length again, they both shuddered. This time, it was much easier for him to find a rhythm in the familiarity of the Prince’s skin, but Prompto tried not to think about how the throbbing in his shoulder kept him from fully focusing on what he was doing. Noctis was doing most of the work, now, frantically pushing his hips down with every matching motion from Prompto until the sounds of wet, slick friction filled the room and easily overpowered the whispers of the darkness against the floor. The faeprince grit his teeth. He whimpered softly as he opened his mouth, but bit down on his lip as he leaned down toward Prompto’s other shoulder as if trying to stop himself from biting the sunfae a second time.

_“Prompto… please… please, I can’t…”_

_I’m trying,_ Prompto wanted to say, he wanted to cry, but offered a gentle smile instead. “I know. Just focus on my hand, okay? Keep moving with me. There, just like that. See? Doesn’t that feel better?”

When Noctis shuddered, Prompto could tell he was finally reaching his breaking point. All he had to do now was walk Noctis through the rest, and hopefully he would calm down enough to finally get some sleep and recover. And Prompto could figure out how to fix himself up. But in that moment, he reminded himself that Noctis was more important. He had to help Noctis release this heat, because if he didn’t, something worse could happen.

“That’s it, Noct, that’s good. Just keep moving with me…” Prompto encouraged, his voice barely audible over the sounds that the faeprince couldn’t keep back. His breath came in short, trembling gasps, set to the pace of the thrusts he made into Prompto’s gently squeezing touch. “It feels good, doesn’t it?”

_“Yes - ohh… I-I… I think… I think I-I… I’m…”_

Noctis didn’t have to finish his sentence for Prompto to know what he was about to say.

“It’s okay, Noct, just let go for me, okay? It’s okay, I’m right here. Don’t fight it,” Prompto urged, speeding up his hand as he spoke, and even offered a few, quick kisses against Noctis’s lips as he struggled to form more words.

When Noctis finally came, it surprised them both. Noctis flinched, his back arching as his pleasure struck in waves. First, crashing over him until he collapsed on top of Prompto and could hardly move, and then a second, unexpected wave that had him swearing in frantic whispers until Prompto swallowed up his anxious noises with his mouth, kissing him until the trembling stopped.

Noctis laid there, unmoving, on top of Prompto as he struggled to catch his breath. Prompto just held his mate as his eyes closed and his glowing magic fully faded away - he was thankful to catch a glimpse of the shadows as they dissolved and left the two alone in the room. But they weren’t alone for long.

“Are you alright?” came Ignis’s voice, from nearby. He was kneeling at their feet, slowly working the vines loose from Noctis’s ankles and glancing apologetically at the marks they had left on his skin. The Prince didn’t answer, too distracted by his release. Prompto answered instead.

“I think he’s okay, for now. But we should get him out of here, and clean him up. I could… use some cleaning, too. You’re okay? You were really hurt - ”

Ignis moved closer, to help pull the faeprince’s limp, pleasure-lost body off of the sunfae. When he saw the fang marks in Prompto’s shoulder and the tears in his shirt, he frowned. “Did he hurt you?”

“Not really, no,” Prompto lied, but Ignis knew better, and Prompto guiltily refused to meet Ignis’s gaze.

“Come with me back to my house. Noctis can sleep, I can get you both fixed up. Noctis will be safer where we can monitor him. Can you fly?”

“I-I think so,” Prompto said, watching as Ignis carefully readjusted Noctis so he could carry him out of the room, back through the tunnels toward the entrance of the burrow. A large pile of flower petals scattered near where Ignis had been resting outside of Noctis’s room.

In explanation, Ignis gestured to them with a nod as they passed. “I did my best to recover as quickly as possible, to assist if something were to go wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t react in time, but to be knocked out so suddenly was a bit jarring.”

“Thanks, though, for everything,” rushed Prompto, as he stepped forward ahead of Ignis to pull the moss at the entrance aside so they could leave. Noctis groaned as he was brought out into the sunlight, and turned his head away from it, burrowing his head against Ignis’s chest. Prompto watched as Ignis’s face contorted briefly into confused discomfort, but when he noticed the sunfae’s curious eyes he immediately changed his expression to something softer. He conjured a band of flowers and draped them over Noctis’s eyes, and he immediately relaxed into Ignis’s arms.

“Perhaps now, your mate will think twice about making a meal out of my human,” Ignis muttered, just loud enough for Prompto to hear.

“You didn’t do all this just because of that, did you?”

Ignis fought away a guilty frown and shook his head. “No, not solely because of the past. I have no issues with you, and I thought I could keep him under control to keep you from getting hurt as well. But it wasn’t my place - a non-mate of a fae in heat has no effect on helping rid them of it. Naturally, of course.”

“Hm… okay.” Prompto tried his best to believe Ignis, but there was just still some part of him that was fearful. Even if it was all a deal to keep Noctis away from Gladiolus, that wasn’t even necessary.

The three flew in silence for the remainder of the journey, and Noctis stayed asleep the whole way back to Ignis’s faehouse. He didn’t move or complain when Prompto opened the door for Ignis to bring him inside; instead his body seemed to relax the moment he left Ignis’s arms to be placed gently on the bed in his loft. Noctis curled up into the blankets until his body was fully hidden, and Ignis was even kind enough to pull the curtains nearby closed, greatly dimming the room. With a little more magic, he conjured a blanket of flowers to drape over the canopy across the bed, offering more shade to the sleeping Prince.

“Sit with him?” Ignis asked, gesturing to a chair beside the bed as he stepped back so he could head back down toward his kitchen. From below, he called, “I’m going to grab some supplies, and a change of clothes for all of us. It won’t do to sit around in damaged clothing. I can prepare some food later, after I’ve finished cleaning things up…”

“Okay…”

When Ignis disappeared, Prompto fought hard to relax into the chair. It was comfortable, really, but he was still anxious about Noctis’s recovery. His shoulder throbbed as if reminding him of everything that had happened, and he shifted so his arm was draped against the side of the chair and not at risk of being jostled if he moved too suddenly.

Noctis was finally asleep, it seemed, and when Prompto reached over to touch his hair, when he smoothed his hand over Noctis’s head he noticed that his body temperature had returned to its usual coolness. Even if it was temporary, Prompto and Noctis both really owed Ignis for his help. He kept thinking that, over and over again in his head, asking himself, _how are we going to repay him for this?_


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small after-scene, to hint at a future sequel fic!

Ignis came back some time later with a basket in his arms. Inside the basket was an arrangement of small bottles, several folded pieces of clothing, and some spare cloth scraps, which he laid out on a table beside the chair where Prompto was sitting, watching over Noctis as he had been asked to.

“May I?” Ignis asked, gesturing to Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto shrugged, but immediately regretted doing so, because the motion sparked pain through his arm and down his spine. “I’ll be quick,” he added.

So Prompto just let Ignis work, and the elder fae slowly slipped the buttons on his shirt free until he could remove it and set it aside. “I’ll have it fixed for you later,” Ignis said, but Prompto wasn’t sure if he was talking to him, or just aloud.

“Thanks,” Prompto mumbled awkwardly, watching as Ignis uncapped a small bottle full of purple liquid and shook some of the almost gel-like contents out into one of the cloth scraps.

“No need,” Ignis replied, “I’m just… doing the right thing, I hope.”

“Right thing?”

“I can’t… I shouldn’t be angry at things that happened in the past. It’s not good to dwell on it. But… if I can use the past to shape my future, why not try?” The cryptic words confused Prompto, even as they must have made sense to the flowerfae because he nodded to himself at his statement. Noctis stirred in the bed, and Ignis returned his attention to the cloth scrap in his hands. “Here. Hold this to your shoulder. It may sting but it works quickly.”

“Okay.”

It did sting, just a little, but Prompto could feel the potion’s magic working into his skin until the pain dulled to an occasionally-throbbing ache, sore, like he’d simply pulled a muscle. “Oh, that was really fast.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said with a small smile, holding up a small bundle of clothes to Prompto. “I’ll watch over Noctis, if you would like to wash up and change. You may use my bath. If you follow the hallway where my potions room is and keep going, it’s the room at the end. If my teapot snaps at you again on the way over, just tell her that you’re a friend and she ought to listen this time, now that you’re a familiar face.”

Prompto stifled a laugh as he took the bundle in his hands and marveled at the softness of the fabric against his skin. “Thanks, Ignis. You’ll… be okay up here with him alone?”

“I’ll call you if I need anything, but by the looks of it, he might be sleeping for the rest of the day. That gives us plenty of time to plan for when he wakes, if his heat decides to make another return so soon. Go, rest, you need it. There are plenty of comfortable napping spots down there, as well, so feel free. And yes, I promise to wake you if something happens to Noctis.” Ignis smiled, and Prompto could tell it was a genuine one. Maybe things weren’t going to be so bad, after all. He felt like he was starting to trust Ignis, even if he and Noctis had had fights in the past. If the past was in the past, and all that was left was to shape the future, as Ignis said, Prompto wanted to do his best to make sure the future they all were going to see was a peaceful one.

**Author's Note:**

> what a ride! I don't usually write fics this long but I got really carried away with it lol. I hope this newest addition to my faeverse series was worth the wait!
> 
> If you wanna keep up with me, you can find me on twitter as [duskynebula](https://twitter.com/duskynebula) but I post/share NSFW so you've been warned!


End file.
